


Into the Void

by LucindaAM



Series: A Day in the Life [7]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff, Freaky Friday - Freeform, Light Swearing, Multi, No Smut, Teleporting powers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:33:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26830732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LucindaAM/pseuds/LucindaAM
Summary: Loki's arrival at the tower signals chaos for you and your soldiers. What's worse is the Trickster takes a sudden liking to you. Your soldiers react as well as can be expected. That is to say, not well at all.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes/Reader, Steve Rogers/Reader
Series: A Day in the Life [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1946242
Comments: 39
Kudos: 108





	1. Different Perspectives

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BarbarafromGR](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BarbarafromGR/gifts).



> BarbarafromGR - your prompt took on a life of it's own! 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Bucky and Steve stood on either side of you like protective bodyguards. You were practically pinned between them, your shoulders hunching in slightly as they pressed even closer together. You glanced over at Tony, hoping that he’d have a well placed quip that would make the two notice that you were FINE but Tony glanced between your pleading eyes and the guest and he seemed to shore up his resolve. He shook his head and his eyes seemed to say; ‘I actually think I prefer you right there.’ 

Your eyes said. ‘When this is over, you’re not going to see me coming, but I AM going to murder you in your sleep.’ 

Your eyes reluctantly trailed over to the Avenger’s newest houseguest. Thor was standing there with an awkward but hopeful smile. Beside him, Loki was standing regally. 

“I see you brought a . . . friend with you.” Tony said, shifting in his armor. 

The rest of the room had likewise shown up to the common room, battle ready. Clint stood in the corner, his bow resting almost casually by his side but you knew he was seconds away from shooting the Asgardian trickster in the nuts. Natasha stood in the shadows, the occasional crackle of electricity from her widow bites drawing attention to her every now and again. Wanda stood in the shadows, her brother alternating between standing in front of her and behind her in quick flashes of silver, almost as though he couldn’t decide whether to defend her or take her and run. 

Sam was standing next to Steve on your right. He mimicked Steve’s unimpressed stance though he did give you a sympathetic look when you made pleading eye contact. 

For obvious reasons, Bruce and Peter had not been invited. 

“My brother . . . Loki . . . he is here to make amends for the crimes he committed against your world.” Thor said, glancing at everyone. His patented smile was still large on his face, but you could see the crinkles of nervousness around his eyes. 

Your own eyes drifted to Loki’s form. He seemed bored with the conversation but there was something not quite right about him . . . 

Tony scoffed. “Yeah. I’m just sure he is. Tell me, quick, how do you spell liar?” 

Thor shook his head. “It is true, my friends. Tell them, brother.” 

Thor looked at Loki expectantly. Loki shrugged. “It has been explained that perhaps you’re not the weak, defenseless, utterly insignificant world I thought you were.” 

It wasn’t exactly a promise of improvement. 

The nagging in the back of your head grew even stronger and suddenly, you realized why Loki looked weird. 

“Listen here you little shit . . .” Clint said, taking a step forward. 

Before he could say anything else, you blinked out from between your two soldiers. 

Bucky and Steve called your name frantically as the room dissolved into chaos, looking for you. An offended yelp drew everyone’s attention to the windows in the corner of the room. You were perched on Loki’s back, pushing his face into the carpet even as you wretched one of his arms into a painful position high on his back. 

“Doll!” Steve yelled, rushing to your side. Before you could say anything, he’d swooped down and plucked you from Loki’s back and shoved you behind his. Bucky swooped in and wrenched Loki to his feet. He shoved him at Thor who gripped Loki’s shoulder tightly. Thor’s smile had all but disappeared at this point but as you peeked your head over Steve’s shoulder, you saw Loki’s had grown. And it was aimed at you. 

“There’s not many who can see through my illusions, mortal. What makes you so special?” 

Another set of shoulders slid in front of you and you sighed as you stared at two muscled backs. You rolled your eyes and blinked away from Steve and Bucky and appeared on top of a high set of bookshelves. Loki’s eyes immediately flicked to yours as though he’d known all along where you were going to go. Something uneasy filled your stomach but you shoved it aside. 

Loki’s smile only grew as Steve and Bucky rushed to the bookshelf. Steve reached up a hand as if to help you down while Bucky stood guard, eyeing Loki suspiciously. 

You rolled your eyes. 

“I agree with my brother. I’ve seen the error of my ways. I’m truly repentant. All I wish now is to impart the same lessons so generously given to me.” Loki said suddenly. All eyes turned to him, though his never left yours. 

The sinking feeling in your gut only grew. 

“I think I’ll start with you.” 

Before any of you could think, a green mist shot out of his hands and engulfed you, Steve and Bucky. You blinked instinctively but didn’t end up on the far side of the room like you’d intended. Instead, you blinked a few feet in front of you and promptly fell out of the air. You landed on the floor with a dull thud and groaned as you rolled onto your back. Steve and Bucky shouted your name as they rushed to your side and helped you to your feet. 

“What the hell did you do to her?” Steve demanded, advancing on Loki. 

Loki shrugged a shoulder. “Before you draw your blades and strike me where I stand, perhaps consider asking your lady if she’s hurt. Not all who are weaker than you require protection, Captain.” 

Steve’s jaw ticked before he turned to you. “Are you alright, sweetheart?” He asked softly. 

“Fine.” You murmured, rubbing at your head. 

Bucky swept you up in his arms. “Medbay.” He grumbled, not one for words when there were so many strange ears present. 

You rolled your eyes but didn’t argue, knowing it was pointless. 

Loki smiled as Bucky carried you past. “I look forward to getting to know you, especially, my lady. Once you are well . . . of course.” He bowed stiffly at the waist and you had to swallow hard. There was something distinctly ominous about his words. You just couldn’t quite put your finger on it. 

You found out the next morning when a high-pitched scream rent the air. 

You were awake in an instant, scrambling out of your bed. Your feet got tangled in the sheets and you face planted on the floor which was weird because you’d fallen asleep next to Bucky when the worry-wart wouldn’t go to sleep without you by his side and you never slept with the covers when you were sleeping with one of your soldiers. They burned too hot. 

You were still trying to process that when you ran into the room. You stared up at yourself in shock, your brain trying to compute what it was seeing. 

“Steve? Do you see what I see?” Your voice screamed back at you. You pushed yourself to your feet and reached out a hand with wide eyes. 

“I . . . But I’m me.” You managed to get out in chopped sentences. 

“Doll?!” Your eyes went wide before they scanned your body head to toe. 

“What the hell is going on?!” Bucky’s booming voice sounded through the apartment. Bucky walked into the room and froze in his tracks. He glanced at you and then at yourself and his eyes nearly bugged out of his head. It was such a foreign expression on his usually stoic face, you couldn’t help but let out a hysteric cackle. 

“What the hell . . .” Your body murmured. 

“Who’s . . . who’s in who?” You asked, glancing around. Your own eyes heated with something that made you swallow hard. “Not like that . . . pervert.” You grumbled. 

Your face smiled cockily. “I’m Bucky.” 

You glanced at Bucky’s body. “Steve.” 

You nodded slowly. “Okay. Okay so . . . Loki did this. Obviously. He can undo it too . . . probably. Let’s . . . let’s go talk to him.” 

You moved to head out of the room when your body and Bucky’s body slid together, blocking the doorway. It was a move Steve and Bucky had done hundreds of times before but was a little less intimidating when your more petite body was involved. 

You blinked a few times before you did something you’d always wanted to do. You simply reached out, picked up your body and moved it aside. You glanced at your face which looked absolutely gob smacked before you awkwardly patted yourself on the head and slid out of the room. 

The stunned silence you’d left the two soldiers in lasted only seconds before they shouted and ran after you. 

“You’re not going ANYWHERE.” Steve argued in Bucky’s body. He reached out his metal hand and clamped it hard around your arm. You winced in pain and Steve dropped your arm like you’d burned him. 

“You gotta be careful, Stevie.” Bucky murmured, your body reaching over to soothe the bruises already forming on your arm. 

Bucky’s face looked devastated. “Sorry Bu . . . doll.” 

You smiled awkwardly. “It’s okay, Stevie.” You said softly. 

Steve curled Bucky’s hand into a fist and let it fall by his side. You could see the self-loathing start to fill his face and you shook your head. “It’s okay, Steve. I’m fine. I’m inside YOU, remember? You’re tougher than you look.” 

Steve cracked a smile at that. 

Bucky had to stifle his own grin. 

You smiled yourself, relieved to have eased the tension before your mind turned back to your mission. “Right.” You said, turning back to the doorway. 

Steve and Bucky immediately moved to block the door again. 

You sighed, your head slumping. 

“Let us handle this, doll.” Bucky somehow made your voice sound low and threatening. 

Bucky’s body nodded as Steve agreed with him. “You don’t know what he’s capable of.” 

You scoffed. “And you two idiots do? Let me remind you, it was ME who realized that he was standing by the windows and not next to Thor like everyone else thought.” 

Bucky took a threatening step towards you and you bit back a curse at how adorable you looked. Was this why none of your threats ever landed with these two? 

“Yeah, and you attracted his personal attention as a result. You’re not going Anywhere. Near. Him.” 

You sighed and threw up your hands. “Then how do you suggest we fix this mess?” You demanded. 

“I’ll go. You stay here. Stevie, stay with her.” Bucky orders. 

You rolled your eyes as he turned and stalked towards the door. “It’s not cute unless I’M doing it.” You muttered. 

Bucky’s body chuckled next to you, but Bucky didn’t have super hearing trapped in your non-serum filled form and didn’t hear you. 

The door shut behind him and you turned to glare at Steve. Bucky’s metal arm whirled as he flexed. “Try me, sweetheart.” He winked. 

You grumbled and threw yourself dramatically on the couch. You stayed there for only a second before you pushed back to your feet and started pacing around. You tried to sit back down, but you couldn’t sit still. You pushed back to your feet and started pacing. 

Steve watched you carefully. “You should go for a run, sweetheart. You’ll feel better.” 

You shook your head. “I hate running. You know this.” 

Steve chuckled lightly. “You don’t have your powers right now, darlin’. You can’t teleport. You have my powers. With that comes extra energy. You gotta burn it off or it’s gonna drive you crazy.” 

You grumbled under your breath and threw your head back before you recognized that Steve probably knew best in this one instance. You stomped past him and back into his room, him chuckling behind you as he followed. You glanced around the room for a change of clothes and Steve brushed past you to get them for you. “Here.” He said, handing them to you. 

You smiled softly and turned to the bathroom to change. You set the clothes on the counter and stripped Steve’s shirt off. You froze as your eyes took in his abs and then slowly drifted downwards. 

A loud banging snapped you out of your thoughts. “No peeking!” Steve ordered from the other side of the door. 

You rolled your eyes. “Nothin’ I haven’t seen before.” You grumbled. Still, you slipped a shirt back on and slid running shorts over Steve’s boxers before you headed back into the bedroom. You slid Steve’s running shoes onto your feet. 

Steve pressed a kiss to your head before you stood up. “Go. You’ll feel better.” He promised. 

You sighed dramatically. “I hope so.” 

You headed out. 

Bucky stomped through halls of the tower, looking for the elusive Trickster. His anger was nearly palpable, and people were practically diving out of his way. That was, until he heard your name being called. Bucky spun around to see a cocky looking son of a bitch saunter up to your body. “Hey darlin’. Long time no see.” The man reached up to caress your face. Bucky took a step back and narrowed his eyes. The name-tag on the man’s belt read; “Tyson”. Bucky memorized it. 

“What? Don’t tell me you’re still mad at me?” The man asked, folding his arms across his chest. Bucky matched his pose. 

‘Tyson’ rolled his eyes. “Look, darlin’. It was one kiss. You didn’t need to get all huffy about it.” 

Bucky saw red. 

Before ‘Tyson’ even had a chance to process what was happening, Bucky gripped him by the throat and shoved him against the wall. Your grip strength was weaker than Bucky was used to, and he snarled when Tyson’s face turned red instead of purple. 

It was the sudden silence that enveloped the office that reminded Bucky that it wasn’t his own life he was playing with. For whatever reason, you hadn’t told him about this ‘Tyson’ prick and he needed to respect that. 

He stepped closer to the man still pinned against the wall. “You seem awfully sure of himself for someone who’s only form of romance is taking advantage of women. Let me let you in on a little secret though, men who can't get women to fall for them without taking advantage, aren’t worth the tissues they wipe their noses with.” Bucky seethed. He took another step forward. “And let me let you in on a bigger secret too, while I’m at it . . . The Winter Soldier, you know him? I’m courting him and the next time you try something like this, I just may be inclined to bring this chat up with him. You understand?!” 

‘Tyson’ nodded frantically, his face pale and Bucky released him. 

The man sputtered and sank to his knees before he glanced up at your angry body. “Run.” Bucky said. 

The man took off running leaving a stunned office in total silence. Bucky struggled to get his anger back under control, the Winter Soldier threatening to take over. Before he could, a surge of power exploded out of him, and he blinked away. 

You walked to the track, still grumbling under your breath. A voice sounded in front of you. “On your left!” Your head shot up to see Sam sprint past, grinning like a fool. The competitive side of you; the side that only seemed to come out when Clint or Sam were involved rose to the surface and an evil smile coated Steve’s lips. 

You took off running after Sam. “No fair!” You called. “You got a head start!” 

Sam chuckled, losing form. “Say’s the man with enhanced . . . everything!” 

You chuckled and pushed yourself and Steve’s body harder. You came up behind Sam and slowed down enough that Sam felt like he had a chance before you started running again. “Don’t say it. Don’t you say it.” He cursed. 

You weaved around him abruptly and called back; “On your . . . RIGHT!” 

Sam stumbled and almost crashed to his feet. “You didn’t say it?” He sounded confused. 

You threw your head back and cackled before you raced ahead, leaving Sam to mutter something under his breath and hit the showers. 

You lost yourself in the thrill of running. You’d never liked it before, but there was something about it now that you couldn’t help but like. Maybe it was Steve’s body and the way it took to it. Maybe it was just the freedom from your overprotective shadows. Whatever it was, by the time Bucky’s body walked into the gym, you were feeling much better. 

Steve put a grim expression on Bucky’s face and your smile faded off yours. “What’s wrong?” You asked. 

“Bucky blinked.” Steve said. “We can’t find him.” 

Your world froze. 

You stomped into Loki’s bedroom, flinging the door open with Steve’s strength so hard that the door stuck in the drywall. You didn’t have your powers, but that didn’t mean you couldn’t find the Trickster without them. You listened hard and heard a heartbeat coming from beside you. You flung out a hand and grabbed a tunic full of the invisible god before you spun and slammed him against the wall. 

“Find him.” You grit out. 

Loki’s form flickered into view and he cocked his head as he watched you. “Fascinating.” He murmured. 

You weren’t in the mood to be a science experiment. Instead, you shook him. “Find. Him.” You demanded again. 

Loki raised his hands in surrender. “It might assist me to know WHOM I’m meant to be searching for.” He said. 

You looked like you were about to throw a punch. Steve stepped in smoothly. “Bucky. She’s looking for Bucky. He’s in her body.” 

Loki smirked. “Ah. The lesson going well then, is it?” 

This time it was you holding Steve back as Bucky’s metal armed whirred. 

Loki brushed off his clothes as you pulled Steve away from him. He shrugged a shoulder. “I’m afraid I'm not sure what you want me to do.” 

“Bring him back.” You seethed. 

“From where?” The Asgardian douche asked. 

You folded your arms over your chest. “He blinked. He’s in the . . . void.” 

Loki cocked his head curiously. For a long minute no one said anything. Then Loki smiled. 

“I’ll make you a deal, mortal. I’ll bring your body back and in exchange, you tell me everything you know about what you can do.” 

“No deal.” Bucky’s voice cut in low from behind you. You turned around and rolled your eyes. “My choice, Stevie.” You said firmly. 

Bucky’s face made it look like Steve was seriously debating flinging you over his shoulder and making a break for it and you glanced at Loki for a little help. 

Something shimmered in his hand, just out of sight and you glanced at it curiously. The next second, Loki snapped his fingers and a blue hue surrounded Steve before he disappeared from sight. 

You turned back to Loki. “Bring my body back with Bucky still inside and it’s a deal.” 

Loki held out his hand. “Shake on it?” He asked. 

You stared at his hand for a long minute before you put your hand in his and shook. A green mist rose from your joined hands like a snake before it shot straight into your heart. 

You stumbled back. “What the hell?” You demanded, patting at Steve’s pecs. 

Loki ignored you as he focused on something across the room. 

There was another flash of light and suddenly your body fell out of the sky and landed on the floor. 

“Sarge?” You asked softly, taking a few steps forward. 

Your head shot up, your eyes round and full of fear and you swallowed hard. He’d seen it then. 

The tension in your shoulders bled away as Bucky took in your appearance. “Doll?” He asked softly, his voice breaking. 

You stepped toward him and put a gentle hand on his face. “Yeah, baby. I’m here.” 

Bucky let out a shaky sigh and wrapped his arms around your waist. He buried your face in your stomach and his shoulders started shaking as he cried. 

You glanced at Loki and nodded your thanks as you bent down and swept your body up in Steve’s arms. 

“Can you change us back?” You asked, suddenly very tired. 

Loki took in your wearied expression and the crying body you carried, and he nodded. “I think the lesson’s been learned.” He said softly. 

He waved his hand and Bucky’s body appeared next to you. In the next instance, a green mist surrounded you and when your eyes opened again, you were staring at Steve’s chest. 

You pushed out of Steve’s arms and rushed to Bucky’s side. He still looked shaken by what he’d just gone through. “Sarge?” You asked softly, stepping towards him. Bucky’s head shot up and looked at you. “Are you okay? 

Bucky’s hands reached out and snagged your body. He lifted you up and you wrapped your legs around his waist. He buried his face in your shoulder and you felt his body shaking. Steve came up behind you and glanced at Bucky worriedly. You shook your head. ‘He’ll be okay.’ You mouthed. 

Steve didn’t look convinced. 

“Come on, Sweetie, let’s go home.” You cooed softly in his ear. 

Bucky took a deep shuddering breath but nodded before he turned and swept you out of the room. As he walked out the door, your eyes made contact with Loki and he looked at you pointedly. 

One day, soon, you’d have to come back and fulfill your promise. But for now? Bucky needed you. 

You clung to Bucky all the way to the apartment.


	2. Where We Go

It took a lot of convincing to finally get Bucky into bed. He seemed entirely reluctant to let you go and your heart broke for him. There was a reason you didn’t tend to talk much about your powers. 

When Bucky’s grip on you started to bruise your skin, Steve felt like he didn’t have any other choice but to sedate him. 

You and Steve stood by the bed and glanced down at him. You full of guilt and Steve full of worry. “You didn’t have to do that.” You argued softly. 

Steve shook his head and glanced at you. “Yes, I did.” He said just as softly. 

He took your hand in his and pulled you out of the room. The two of you stood awkwardly in the hallway outside of Bucky’s room while you waited for Steve to ask the question you knew he was dying to ask. 

“What happened to him?” He asked eventually. 

You let out a full-bodied sigh and let your shoulders slump in weariness. “Come on, Steve.” You said, taking his hand and leading him out of the apartment. 

The two of you rode in silence back down to Loki’s floor. He was sitting patiently in his room, clearly expecting you. You took a step towards the seats in front of him but Steve grabbed your arm. He whispered your name tensely. You glanced at him for a moment before you squeezed his hand once. You then pried his hand away from your arm and pulled him towards the chairs. 

Loki held out a cup of tea for you to take. 

You did and sipped it generously. The shot of booze he’d spiked it with burned your throat on the way down but did give you the bottled bravery to start your story. 

“Bucky went to the void.” You said. “When he blinked.” You added for Steve’s benefit. 

“And what is this . . . ‘void’?” Loki asked, leaning back in his seat, eager to hear more. 

You sighed and shrugged your shoulder. “It’s another dimension. Similar to this one but different too.” 

“How so?” Steve asked, glancing suspiciously at his own cup of tea before he took a sip of it. 

You hesitated here while you tried to think of a way to explain things without worrying Steve. Nothing came to mind. “It’s . . . Earth.” You hedged. “Same buildings . . . same landscapes just . . .” 

“Void of anything?” Loki suggested helpfully. 

You nodded and glanced at your teacup. 

Steve murmured your name softly, thinking that was the worst of it but when you turned your head to look at him, his heart sunk. There was more. 

Loki seemed to notice the unspoken statement. “What else is there?” He asked. 

You shuddered and set your teacup on the coffee table before you drew your knees up to your chest. “Nothing. That’s the thing. There’s nothing there. The buildings. The landscapes. The technology. All of it’s sitting there, abandoned.” 

“I don’t understand.” Steve said softly. “You can breathe there so surely there’s life somewhere.” 

You nodded slowly, your head already focusing on the memories of the other world that were so clear in your mind’s eye. “There was life.” You admitted softly, remembering what it was like to walk between the scattered bodies lying haphazardly everywhere. “It’s gone now.” 

Steve glanced at your distant expression and couldn’t stop himself as he pushed out of his chair and moved to your side. Gently, he picked you up in his arms and sat in your chair, twisting you in his lap so he could rest your head against his chest. “You’re okay.” He murmured. “You’re okay now. You’re safe.” 

You didn’t hear him as he rocked you back and forth. You were too busy glancing down at his dead body, his double’s hand wrapped tightly around Bucky’s as the ashes of the world rained down around you. 

You let out a choked sob and Steve glanced up at Loki in distress. 

“What’s happening?” He asked. 

Loki shook his head. “She’s remembering.” He said softly. 

Loki knew what it was like to have an entire world of memories in his head that didn’t seem to belong. He remembered the torment of his time in captivity here and elsewhere and he didn’t envy you your pain. Still, there was something about you that had him longing to ease your pain. He stretched his fingers out and a green mist covered your eyes, drawing you back to reality. 

You squeezed yourself tighter against Steve’s chest and cleared your throat. “Jumping between the two worlds I can almost wrinkle them. I can move faster. It makes it seem like I’ve appeared out of nowhere.” 

Steve pressed a hard kiss to the top of your head and clung to you. He’d had no idea . . . 

“Something about the other realm scares you.” He said softly. 

You turned your head and looked at him, the truth of his words burning brightly in your eyes. A look of understanding passed between the two of you as Loki realized the truth that you never, never wanted Steve and Bucky to ever know. 

The reason you were pulled so tightly to the other world was because that’s where you belonged. You were a visitor in their world. A refugee whose powers ignited in the wake of fear as the apocalypse ended yours. 

Meeting Steve and falling in love with him had given you a home here. Then Bucky had come along, and you’d finally learned the meaning of the word peace. Though you knew Steve and Bucky wouldn’t care about the truth of your origins; the world you’d left behind was just that. Something you’d left behind. You were a survivor and you claimed that title in your heart, but you didn’t ever want them to look at you that way. If you ever saw pity in their eyes, it would break you in ways that you didn’t think you’d be able to overcome. 

All of those fears passed between you and Loki as Steve clung to you in his arms. Loki was the one to break the stare. “Travel to this ‘void’ aside; how was it that you saw through my illusion?” He asked. 

You wiped away the tears you hadn’t realized you’d been crying and let out a deep breath. “The illusion had a faint shimmer to it. The glow of something otherworldly.” You said quietly. 

Loki took a deep breath and leaned forward. Steve tensed around you and you smiled softly and patted his arm comfortingly. 

“You’ve seen this shimmer before.” 

It wasn’t a question. You nodded slowly. 

“Where?” The look in his eyes was almost manic and your eyes widened at his desperate tone. “The staff. The one you brought with you. The Chitauri too.” 

He waved his hand flippantly. “Yes. Yes. Anywhere else?” 

You shook your head. 

Loki flopped back into his chair and a blank mask slid over his features again. “Well. You’ve held up your end of the bargain. You may go. I’m sure your missing piece will be missing you.” 

He glanced away and it was clear you were being dismissed. Steve picked you up and started carrying you out the door, but you shook your head and pushed out of his arms. You needed to walk. 

Steve set you on the ground but laced his fingers through yours before the two of you slowly headed back to your apartment, each lost in your own thoughts. 

When you got back to the apartment, you kicked your shoes off as Steve shut the door behind the two of you. You didn’t say anything, you just wandered down the hall to Bucky’s room. You pushed the door open and sighed in relief that he was still lying unconscious on his bed. You shimmied across the mattress and moved his arm so you could lie against his chest. You laid your head against his heart and listened to the calming rhythm. 

Steve entered the room and glanced down at the two of you. “You know what happened to him.” He said softly. That wasn’t a question either. 

You nodded miserably against Bucky’s chest as you ran your hands soothingly across his stomach. Steve sighed and sat on the bed. He leaned over you and brushed your hair out of your face. “Will you tell me?” He asked. 

You buried your face in Bucky’s side and wished for a second you were anywhere else. “He saw you.” You finally said. “You and him.” 

Steve was silent for a long moment. “I don’t understand.” He said slowly. 

You pulled yourself away from Bucky and twisted so you were facing Steve. Tears welled in your eyes. “That world and this world are the same, Stevie. The only difference is in that world, you’re dead. You’re all dead.” 

Your shoulders shook as you started sobbing in earnest. You buried your face in your hands and years' worth of bottled emotions came flooding out of you. 

“No, sweetheart. No. It’s okay. I’m okay.” He said, lying down beside you and wrapping you tightly in his arms. “Whatever you see over there. Whatever you think you see . . . none of it’s real. Okay?” 

You only cried harder at this. 

Steve cooed to you softly, desperately wishing he could take your pain away but there was nothing that could be done. Eventually you cried yourself to sleep in his arms. 

Steve lay there for a long time, listening to the quiet sounds of your and Bucky’s soft breathing. Steve’s hands stroked your back lightly as he swam in his sea of thoughts. 

Much later that night, Steve glanced up as Bucky shifted on the bed. Bucky’s bleary eyes met Steve, his body tensing until they drifted to your sleeping form. Bucky sighed in relief and he rolled onto his side and shuffled until your back was pressed to his front. 

Steve pulled his hands away and let Bucky have the moment he needed. 

Bucky buried his face in your hair and breathed you in. Steve watched the tension bleed out of his shoulders. “It wasn’t real, Buck.” He said, offering Bucky the self-same comfort he’d offered you earlier. 

Bucky shook his head slowly. “That’s the problem, Stevie.” He murmured. “It was all TOO real.” 

Bucky could still feel the waxy texture of his counterpart’s skin. He could still remember the frozen look of horror painted across other Steve’s glazed eyes. 

Steve swallowed hard as he processed Bucky’s words and what you hadn’t said earlier. A surge of protection welled through him and he pressed himself against your body, cocooning you between himself and Bucky. 

“Then we protect her.” He said firmly. 

Bucky nodded and pressed a kiss to the top of your head. You mumbled something in your sleep and the two soldiers glanced at each other with grim determination. 

“Till the end of the line.” Bucky agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay? Nay? 
> 
> I'd love to hear what you think!


	3. Pushing Too Far

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There were originally only going to be two chapters to this story, but thepracticalheartmom encouraged me to write a third and that spiraled into a fourth. So! I know you weren't expecting it, but welcome back to the ride! I hope you enjoy the bonus content.

You were the first awake the next morning. You awoke as you often did these days, with two different arms slung around your waist keeping you pressed tightly between two different bodies. 

You smiled and reached out to stroke Steve’s face lightly before you blinked out of his and Bucky’s arms and into the bathroom to start your morning routine. 

Once done, you blinked into the kitchen and started cooking breakfast. Yesterday had been an emotional roller coaster and you were in the mood for something hearty. 

You hummed to yourself as you blinked around the kitchen, grabbing eggs from the fridge, grabbing spices from the cabinet, grabbing plates and cutlery. You were so wrapped up in what you were doing, you didn’t hear Bucky sneak into the room. 

“What are you doing?” His hard voice practically yelled. 

You started and reactively blinked in and out of existence. “Geeze, Sarge. You scared me half to death.” You murmured, holding a hand to your beating heart. 

Bucky ignored you as he stalked towards you, murder on his face. He grabbed your arm and pulled you out of the kitchen. 

“It’ll burn!” You moaned, glancing behind you at the breakfast you’d been looking forward too. 

Bucky ignored your pouting lips and dragged you after him. He threw open the bedroom door where Steve was just sitting up in bed. Steve rubbed the sleep from his eyes and glanced from Bucky’s furious face to your confused one and sat up a little straighter. 

“What’s going on?” He asked carefully. 

Bucky pulled you forward and then let go of your arm. He crossed his arms over his chest behind your back and growled. “Tell him.” 

You glanced back at Steve who was eyeing Bucky over your head with an unreadable expression on his face. The tension in the room started building and you had a feeling you’d just done something very, very wrong, but you couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it had been. 

Steve’s eyes turned to you as you started rubbing your arm anxiously. He held out his hand. “Come here, sweetheart.” He murmured. 

You gratefully took his hand and he pulled you to him. He settled you on his lap and kissed your temple. “What were you doin’ out there, huh?” He asked softly. 

You melted into his embrace and shrugged a shoulder. “I was TRYING to make breakfast.” You said softly. “I thought it would be a nice surprise.” 

Steve tilted your chin up and pressed a quick kiss against your lips. “It is a nice surprise, doll. Do you need any help?” 

You sighed. “Yeah. I think it’s probably all burned now. We’ll have to start over.” You murmured. 

Steve lifted you back onto your feet before standing himself. “Right. Well, ma’ always said I had ‘more heart than head in the kitchen’ but I do know how to make eggs.” 

You smiled up at him and weaved your fingers through his as you both started towards the door. 

Bucky immediately blocked your escape. 

You and Steve glanced up and Steve actually pulled you slightly behind him as though protecting you FROM Bucky. 

Bucky glared at the gesture before his hard eyes turned to Steve. “She blinked.” He bit out. 

Somehow Steve tensed even further. 

You pulled away from him and stepped in between the two friends. “I do that.” You reminded them, blinking in and out of existence to prove your point. You held your hands out in a way that screamed; ‘duh’. 

In the split second it took you to perform your little demonstration, Steve’s face paled and the weary expression had changed to firm resolve. 

“No.” He said firmly. 

You raised a single eyebrow. “No?” 

Bucky nodded in agreement. “No.” 

You threw your head back and glared at the ceiling. It was too early and had been too long of a day yesterday for you to be dealing with their riddles. “I need coffee.” You said firmly, blinking out of the room and into the kitchen. 

You grabbed a mug as you heard mad scrambling race down the hallway. You turned in time to see Steve and Bucky charging at you. In a blind panic, you gripped your coffee mug and the pot of coffee and blinked up into the rafters of the ceiling that Tony had installed for you to practice your powers on. 

Bucky and Steve glared up at you, matching scowls pasted on their equally irate faces. “Get down here.” Bucky ordered. 

“No.” You said, pouring your coffee and taking a sip. 

“No?” He asked. 

“Yeah. No. You seem so fond of the word, you take it for a spin. See how it feels.” 

Bucky’s jaw ticked and he muttered your name darkly. Normally his gravelly voice gave you chills but this time you were in no mood. In fact, you were tempted to pour your coffee on him, but you resisted. 

Steve sighed. “Sweetheart, please.” 

“No.” You said more firmly. 

Steve bent his head. “Doll, we just want to make sure you’re safe.” His broken voice nearly broke your heart and you couldn’t help but blink back down to the ground. You reached out a hand and pressed it against his face. 

Steve tilted his head up to shoot you a sad smile. “Why wouldn’t I be safe?” You asked softly, reaching your other hand out to cup the other side of his face. “I’m not exactly a damsel in distress.” You reminded him, glancing up at the rafters pointedly. 

Steve’s eyes slid closed and he reached up a hand to grip your wrist, keeping your hands against his face. His jaw ticked but he didn’t say anything. 

“You can’t go back there.” Bucky’s voice cut through the peaceful moment you were having with Steve and you tensed, suddenly realizing what was happening. 

You pulled your hands away from Steve’s face. His grip on your wrist tightened just a moment before he reluctantly opened his eyes and let you slip away. You took a few steps back from them and crossed your arms over your chest in an effort to protect yourself from a conversation you didn’t want to have. 

“You can’t stop me.” You said stiffly. 

Steve watched helplessly as he watched you raise walls around your heart, locking him and Bucky on the wrong side of it. 

Bucky watched too, his face stoic even as his own heart bled inside. He just needed you to understand, just needed you to be safe . . . He took a step forward and let his arms fall limply by his sides. His eyes were pleading even as his tone of voice was firm and unyielding. “You can’t go back.” 

You closed your eyes, missing the looks of absolute devastation that crossed both of their faces. You shook your head slowly. The tension in the room seemed to swell as Steve and Bucky waited for you to say something . . . anything. 

When you finally did; they found themselves wishing you hadn’t. 

“It’s a part of who I am.” You said softly. You opened your eyes and glanced at them wet eyes. “Either you accept it as a part of me or you don’t accept me at all.” Your voice broke. 

Steve took a step towards you, but you shook your head. A choked sob tore through your lips and you blinked away, leaving Steve and Bucky alone. 

The sound of your sob seemed to echo through the apartment for a long time after that only to finally be drowned out by the sound of the fire alarm shrieking as breakfast finally went up in flames. 

Steve and Bucky reacted instinctively as they raced to put out the flames. It was only afterwards with his hands braced against the kitchen counter and his head bent low that Steve broke the silence. 

“You pushed her too far, Buck.” He said. His voice was monotone and dull, but Bucky felt the accusation as clearly as if Steve had stabbed him through the heart. 

Bucky hardened his resolve and closed his eyes. He thought back to the dead corpses he’d seen in that other world and he refused to lose you to it. “I can’t lose her, Stevie. I can’t.” 

Steve let out a full-body sigh and walked towards Bucky. He put a hand on Bucky’s shoulder. “I know you don’t want to, Buck. But doing this? We just might lose her anyway.” 

Steve walked away leaving Bucky alone with his thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone who's liked it and commented on it so far. You guys make my day! 
> 
> I know this one was a lot a bit angsty especially after the last one. Part four should be up sometime tonight so there won't be too much waiting in between. Hope that makes up for it. ;)


	4. Untethered

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to thepracticalheartmom for proofreading some of these chapters and encouraging me to keep posting the motherflipping angst. I don't consider angst to be my strong suit. So it's nice to have the encouragement.

You sat under a tree in Central Park. Your Central Park. The red skies of your dead world painted the park in a ghastly light. You knew if you turned around, you’d see a horrific scene of loss so you kept your eyes firmly planted on the ash-muddied water of the small river flowing in front of you. 

Your heart felt broken and your soul felt raw. You thought you’d mostly overcome the grief that being the lone survivor of your world had brought you. You’d been wrong. You’d never felt more alone than you did now. 

Tears streamed silently down your face as you stared at the dirty water in the red tinged light of your world, lost in a sea of your own thoughts. You thought of Steve and the comfort he’d always given you. He’d never once complained when you’d awoken screaming in the middle of the night, plagued with nightmares of the people you hadn’t been able to save here. He’d simply taken you in his arms and murmured things into your ear until you’d fallen back asleep. He’d shown you what it was to live again. To let go of past mistakes and demons and to move forward with hope for the future. 

You thought of Bucky and the gentleness he showed to everyone despite the horrors he’d been through. No one would blame him if he couldn’t function in the real world but he did and he did it better than most others you knew. He showed you how to get up when all the sticks were down and you didn’t think you had anything left to give. He was your firm protector but he was also your biggest cheerleader. There was nothing you couldn’t do in his eyes and you loved the sense of empowerment he gave you. 

You wiped at your tears and stared at your hands as your thoughts then drifted to the team. Tony, Nat, Clint, Sam, Wanda, Pietro, Bruce, Peter, Thor and yes, even Loki. Each of them had protected you or helped you more times than you could count. They’d given you a family when you’d lost your own. They’d all weaseled their way into your heart and you let out a startled laugh when you realized that they had. You loved them. All of them. They’d given you a sense of home when you’d had none. 

You pushed to your feet. You couldn’t stay here. You didn’t belong here. Not anymore. You needed to go home to be with your new family. 

You closed your eyes and sucked in a deep breath. You let your power expand within you before you mentally flung it out just as you always had. But nothing happened. 

You frowned and tried again. 

Nothing. 

Panic clawed at your heart and you tried a third time. Still nothing. You scrambled to tug on the connections to your anchors in your mind and fell to your knees in horror as you realized they were just . . . gone. 

You hadn’t been untethered in this world since you’d first escaped it. 

Tears streamed down your face anew as the harsh reality sunk in. 

You were untethered and you had no way of getting back. 

Steve left Bucky alone in the apartment and silently made his way to Nat’s apartment. You and the spy shared a connection that Steve had never quite understood but he’d been grateful that you had it in your life. You shared a silent connection with Nat the way that Steve shared one with Bucky. Steve was just grateful you had that support during the times you didn’t feel like you could turn to him with your problems. 

Steve reached Nat’s door and knocked. The spy was quick to answer. 

“Rogers.” She greeted, leaning against her doorframe. 

“Romanov.” Steve nodded. His eyes looked up and he scanned her apartment over her head. “She here?” 

Nat shook her head, watching him carefully. “What did you do this time?” 

Steve glanced back at her. “Nothing.” 

Nat’s eyes narrowed. Steve grimaced. “Bucky may have implied that she shouldn’t use her powers anymore.” 

Nat’s entire body tensed as she read between the lines. “Implied or ordered?” She demanded to know. 

“. . . Ordered.” Steve muttered almost silently. 

Nat pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed before she pushed past Steve and raced towards the elevator. 

“Where are we going?” Steve called. 

“To track your girlfriend! If what I think happened, happened, you two are in a world of trouble!” 

Steve had nothing to say to that. 

Nat burst into Tony’s lab. “Stark! You still have the tracking chip on our resident teleporter?” 

Tony glanced up from the suit that was lying on the table. “Lil’ Miss Scotty?” He asked. “Sure.” 

Steve shot Tony a murderous glare. “You bugged her?” He growled. 

Tony barley spared Steve a glance as he flung his hands through the air bringing up your tracking information. “Don’t get your onesie in a twist, Capsicle. It’s for emergencies only.” 

Steve’s jaw ticked but he didn’t say anything as a hologram of the world appeared in the air in front of him. “JARVIS, can you isolate Scotty’s tracker?” 

The globe spun for a few seconds before JARVIS spoke. “I’m afraid I can't, sir.” He said. 

Tony frowned and pulled his phone off the counter. He started typing into it. “The tracker being spotty? That shouldn’t happen.” 

“The tracker was working fine last it was transmitting. The problem isn’t the technology, sir. The problem is that the tracker is no longer located on planet earth.” 

Steve’s heart froze in his chest. “What?” He choked out. 

Tony glanced up from the data he was reading through. “Scotty disappeared twenty minutes ago. Same energy readings I get whenever she teleports. She went to the other dimension Cap’. There hasn’t been a matching signal yet which means she hasn’t come back. She’s still there.” 

“I have to go.” Steve murmured. He turned and ran out of the lab leaving Tony and Nat alone. 

Tony looked up at the spy with a grim face. “Is she going to be okay?” 

Nat glanced at the spinning globe in the center of the room and shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t know.” She said. 

Steve burst into the apartment. “Buck! Bucky!” He yelled. 

Bucky came running out of your bedroom, gun drawn. He took in Steve’s frantic appearance and glanced around the room. He tucked the gun into his pants when he realized there was no immediate threat. “What is it punk?” He asked, trying to keep his voice calm despite the tears he’d just been crying. 

Steve stepped towards him with wild eyes. He grabbed Bucky by the shoulders and shattered the man’s world. 

“She’s gone, Buck. She blinked to the other world and she hasn’t come back. What if . . . what if she can’t come back? What if . . .” 

“What if I broke her connection with us.” Bucky finished. 

Bucky sank to his knees and buried his face in his hands. His entire focus was on you. His imagination ran wild with thoughts of you being stuck in that horrible world for the rest of your life. 

Steve collapsed to the ground beside him, his own thoughts turning to you. You were his home. The first thing that had brought him peace and a sense of normalcy after he’d come out of the ice. You were his peace in the middle of war. You were his everything. 

“What do we do?” Bucky’s broken voice pulled Steve out of his spiraling thoughts and Steve squared his shoulders. He had to do this. He had to be strong for the three of you. He refused to believe that there wasn’t a way to bring you back. 

“She said we were her anchors, right? So we pull her back.” 

“How, Stevie?” 

Steve shook his head at a loss. “We . . . we will her back Buck. We . . . I don’t know! We just . . . we do it!” Steve ran his hands through his hair frantically. He pushed to his feet and started pacing, breathing heavily. He rarely felt as helpless as he did in this moment and he didn’t know what to do. What if they couldn’t pull you back . . . what if they’d driven you away forever?! What if . . . 

Bucky jumped to his feet too and took Steve by the shoulders. “We’ll get her back. We will, punk. We . . . we have to.” 

Steve stared up into Bucky’s eyes and grabbed one of his hands, squeezing it desperately. “Right. Right.” 

Bucky smiled at his oldest friend softly and then tugged on his hand. “Come on.” He murmured, pulling Steve towards your bedroom. 

The two of them moved into the space that still smelled like you and tears coated both their eyes. They both moved towards your bed, sitting on it silently while their thoughts drifted towards you. “How do we do this, Stevie?” Bucky asked, rubbing his hands together. 

Steve sighed and closed his eyes. “When I first met her, she seemed so lost and alone. But there was this connection, you know? Something that just . . . clicked. As our relationship grew it felt . . . it felt . .” 

“Like there was always a little part of her in the back of your head.” Bucky finished quietly. 

Steve nodded his head. 

“No matter how far apart we were, I always carried that piece of her with me.” 

The two men fell silent as each of them reached for that piece now only to find it missing. “It’s not there now though.” Bucky choked out. 

Steve shook his head. “It is.” He argued. “It is! It’s just . . . it’s weak.” 

Steve focused inward on that tiny piece of you that seemed to pulse. It was faint and hardly worth noticing. If he hadn’t been so desperate for anything to hold onto, he wouldn’t have noticed it at all. He grabbed onto it with everything he was worth and he pulled on it. A gasp echoed through the room and he realized it was Bucky. 

“I feel her!” Bucky murmured excitedly. 

“Grab onto that, pull her, Buck. Pull her back to us.” Steve encouraged. 

The two men grappled in silence. Their hands reaching out to hold each other while they begged and pleaded and cajoled the universe to let you come back to them. 

Minutes or hours later, just as they were beginning to lose hope something loud popped in the room and a wave of power knocked them both back. 

Bucky recovered first, pushing himself back up, arms tensed, ready to fight. He glanced around the room and his eyes were drawn immediately to your huddled form on the floor. 

Your hands were braced in front of you as you sucked in heaving lungsful of air. Your eyes were glossy with tears that were streaming down your dust covered cheeks. Your eyes were red and swollen and you looked like you’d just fought your way through hell. 

“Doll?” He murmured softly. 

“I heard you.” You cried. “I heard both of you.” 

You held your hands out and Bucky and Steve wasted no time in rushing to you. Bodies collided until you found yourself pressed between both of your soldiers, none of you willing to be the first to let go. 

“I’m so sorry, doll. I’m so sorry.” Bucky cried into your shoulder. 

“We thought you weren’t coming back.” Steve murmured, pressing his forehead into the back of your head. 

You just clung to them more tightly. “I almost couldn’t.” You admitted. “But you pulled me back. You pulled me back home.” 

For a long minute the three of you sat locked in a bone-crushing embrace. Eventually Bucky pulled his face out of your shoulder and pressed his forehead against yours. “I accept you, doll. I accept all of you. I love you.” His voice choked and you leaned forward to press your lips against his soothingly. 

“Just promise us you’ll always come back.” Steve murmured behind you. 

You twisted around and pressed your lips to his too. You leaned your forehead against his and sighed. “I promise.” You murmured softly. “You’ll always pull me back.” 

“Till the end of the line.” They agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was an emotional ROLLERCOASTER I just took myself on. 
> 
> Good GRAVY. I need some fluff. Anyone agree? Fluff? Fluff? Geez I broke my own heart into more pieces than I realized it could break. But we learned a lot and so did Steve and Bucky and I guess, in the end, that's all that matters.
> 
> See you guys next time!

**Author's Note:**

> Any thoughts, guesses, prophecies?
> 
> Lemme know!


End file.
